When I sent in my income tax return this year with a check for [illegible] of
the tax due the federal government I wrote to the Collector [illegible]
Internal Revenue as follows:

“I have sent 75 percent of [illegible] tax due to … agencies which
[illegible] working for world peace and [illegible] conciliation. I cannot
pay this [illegible] of my tax because as a Christian I believe war is wrong.
I also believe that modern war is obsolete [illegible] futile, a form of
collective insanity [illegible] that we cannot defeat communism by killing
communists.

“I believe that if we turn from our present foreign policy and courageously
follow Christ, strengthening the United Nation so that [illegible] becomes a
limited world government leading in world disarmament, [illegible] using our
weath to help the people who most need help, there [illegible] be a real
possibility of peace. [Illegible] present concentration on preparation for
war will lead to war if continued.”

Published elsewhere on this page is a letter signed “Wanda Turpen,” referring
to a letter published here on March 10
over the signature of the
Rev. Marion C. Frenyear. The
Turpen letter says that the Frenyear letter was written by a fictitious
character to “other side-splitting letters” of the same type and purported
authorship. It enjoins The Post-Star to “Give us credit for having a little
more intelligence, please!”

We have a surprise for Miss Turpen. Miss Frenyear is, and so signed her
letter whose authenticity has been questioned, the pastor of the South
Hartford Congregational Church. We rather imagine that if Miss Turpen cared
to verify the statement she could do so simply by addressing a letter to Miss
Frenyear direct rather than by doubting her existence in the press.

Obviously, Miss Turpen cannot imagine anyone so incredibly foolish as to
believe so firmly in a religious principle that she would defy the government
of the United States in order to stick to it. How far Miss Frenyear and an
organization to which she belongs will get is problematical. They have
decided not to pay that portion of their income taxes which they figure, on
the basis of the national budget, will be devoted to military expenditures.

Concerning Miss Turpen’s
P.S. as to the
Internal Revenue Collector’s response, he is not called upon to make one yet
since Miss Frenyear has compiled with the income tax law by paying, her first
installment. But on Monday the New York
Times reported that a Rev.
Abraham J. Muste of New York City, another member of the protesting
organization, wrote his tax collector as follows: “For the third successive
year I must refuse to file an income tax return or to pay the federal income
tax.” He explained why.

The Post-Star does not endorse Miss Frenyear’s method of going about
attaining peace and sternly advises the general public not to try it. We
strongly disagree with Miss Turpen, however, as to who is “unenlightened.” It
is not Miss Frenyear. She is merely conspicuous.

South Hartford — (AP) — A woman pastor says she has paid only one-fourth
of her income tax because she couldn’t “support a government in participation
and preparation for war.”

The Rev. Marion C. Frenyear
of the Congregational Church in this Washington County village said
last night she had notified the Bureau of
Internal Revenue that she would pay 25 per cent of her
1951 tax.

She said she had paid only a quarter of her tax last
year, too.

Bureau officials, however, subsequently obtained a lien against her salary.

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